The Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday announced a $97,900 settlement with Eastman Chemical after the company voluntarily disclosed it failed to submit toxic chemical reports for its former Lynwood, Calif., facility.
Eastman Chemical failed to submit timely, complete and correct reports to the EPA on the amounts of chemicals released at the facility in 2001, including sec-butyl alcohol, certain glycol ethers, naphthalene, phthalic anhydride and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene. The firm also failed to submit to the agency the amount of cobalt compounds, certain glycol ethers, cumene, naphthalene and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene released in 2002.
Eastman discovered the violations in October 2004, voluntarily reported them to the EPA within 30 days and promptly corrected them. In keeping with the EPA’s policy of encouraging voluntary disclosure, Eastman Chemical’s $195,800 fine was reduced by 50 percent to $97,900.
Eastman Chemical has since sold the Lynwood facility where it once manufactured print resins.